Thoughts on Jessica Palladium, Gel Nails and Japanese Candy Goo

Cosmetic:

So from my last post you can see I went dusty hunting for nail polishes.  One of the polishes I bought was Jessica Custom Nail Color in Palladium.  While this isn't a rare find at all, it was a decent price at $4 (compared to the $7-$8 I see it going for).  The polish application was good.  The brush was thin but maneuverable and the polish was opaque in 2 coats.

It did take a little longer to dry than I'm used to but that's what Seche Vite is for right?

The polish is a metallic but it glitters like crazy.  Imagine TV static but in glittering gold (granted TV static is a thing of the past.....) it's so fluid, it reminds me of the sun reflecting off the currents of a river or pond.

Now the pictures don't do it justice.  It's just so glittery without being a glitter.

So I also mentioned I got a gel manicure last weekend.  It was my first time and I really liked it, but it's not something I would ever get again.

Why?  Well......  although it dries fast and stays shiny and is a great option for those who are trying to grow out their nails, it has some faults with me.

First off, after all the layers are said and done it ends up being way too thick.  Also, for the cost of the gel manicure I could have gotten a full set with all sorts of bells and whistles.  Most importantly, I have a vast nail polish collection and like to switch colors often.  Having such a thick nail put me out of the mood to paint my nails, they also looked odd too.  I also have a tendency to pick at my nails when I'm bored or if I see a chip.  So once I see a weak spot on the gel around my cuticle, I had to pick at it.

In fact I was picking at my nails since the moment I got them.  The gel mani gets extra points for keeping my persistent picking at bay for as long as it did.  But today, I found a major weak spot and peeled the gel off of my nail.  The gel didn't want to come off so it took a few layers of nail with it.

This is why I can not have a gel manicure.  This is also the reason why I don't get acrylics done anymore unless it's for a very special occasion.

I ended up soaking my nails in acetone using the foil method and scraping the gel off my other nails.  This was not fun......

I ended up painting them as seen above, but my nails are so short now..... too short.  I also reshaped my nails back to rounded tips.  Why does every salon here automatically do square tips instead of asking?  It just doesn't look good on all people.

But alas, lesson learned.  That money spent on manicures will go instead to nail polish or candy.

Speaking of candy.....

Confection:

I found this at the Japanese supermarket and the scientist in me had to have it.

 This candy is so cool!  It's called neru-neru-nerune and is described as a soft candy.

So first you fill the little cup that comes with the tray with water and you put it in the bowl portion.  I've found it works best if the little measuring cup is overfilled with water.  An underfilled cup doesn't dissolve all the sugar and stuff so it doesn't expand as much.

Mix packet #1 with the water.

Fold in packet #2 with the #1 mixture. 

You will see it start to foam.  Mix it up really well.

Then you add packet #3 to the other side and dip your newly made goo into the candy pieces before eating.

Each flavor has a different candy that it's dipped in.  I guess it's supposed to complement the goo.  I've seen this candy in 3 flavors: grape, muscat and soda.

Would I get this again?  Probably not.  But I'm glad I tried it.

Dusty Hunting: A great way to get Bourbon and Nail Polish

So This weekend I decided to try my hand at dusty hunting.  You may have heard of this in reference to liquor or more recently nail polish.

What is dusty hunting?

Dusty hunting is when you go to various liquor stores looking for old stocks of alcohol. Alcohol doesn't expire and stock isn't rotated on a regular basis because of this.

It's a good way to find older bottles of liquor or even liquor that isn't made anymore depending on the store.

Best places I've found have been hole in the wall liquor stores or places where the general demographic doesn't stray from the basics: Hennessy, Patron, Smirnoff and others.

Places like these I've been able to find old Jack Daniels (before they lowered the alcohol content) and have seen some other pretty awesome bottles lurking in the back of the shelf collecting dust.

Now.... in regards to nail polish.  Dusty hunting is where you go to various beauty supply stores, nail salons and the like, but instead of delicious alcohol you're looking for discontinued bottles of nail polish.

I've never done this before.  I usually go to my regular places of discount nail shops that are abundant in San Jose.  But I don't travel to too many nail salons or go out of my way to sketchy supply shops on a regular basis.

So this week I went to two beauty supply shop that wholesales to salons but sells to the public and a nail salon.

Since I have severe phone anxiety I decided to go online, check store hours and take my chances.  Nail salons are great places to look for nail color but in regards to dusty hunting they can be a hit or miss.  Many salons mix their own colors or add thinning agents to make the bottle last longer.  Plus, their focus is on the color of the polish, not the brand.  Also, authenticity can't be guaranteed so unless you know your stuff I wouldn't pick these places as a first choice.  

But it wasn't a total loss, I had my first gel manicure and I must say that I am loving it.  Only problem is that the gel is pretty thick (4 coats total) so I've been having the hardest time prying stuff open with my super thick nails.  

I went to a beauty supply shop a few blocks from where I stay in San Francisco.  I never knew such a place existed (plus I wasn't paying attention).  They had a great variety of polishes but there weren't too many sought after and discontinued colors.  I definitely found dusty polishes and they had two big boxes of random color changing polishes that I ultimately passed on.  I got 3 polishes here that I think are very pretty, although not necessarily rare.

Today I went to another beauty supply shop a few blocks down from where I stay in San Jose.  They cater to salons as well as the public but aren't opened on Saturdays (is this a common thing in San Jose?).

I went in expecting to find a couple of old polishes that might or might not be dusty gold.  I had a look around and was pretty amazed at all the nail decorations they had.  The store in San Francisco had some nail art stuff too like opal bits, glitter and colored acrylics but this was even better.  They had metal leafing in gold and silver (super tempted to go back and get this), acrylic powders in all colors, glitter, shapes, flakies, pearls, stencils, nail tips galore and almost everything I could want in nail art.

The polishes were kind of a mess but they were organized enough where they weren't all on the ground and they were mixed up enough to make for a good hunt.  They also had old nail polish sets from China Glaze.  So if you wanted the One Love or Sexy Sport mini polish sets then this is your place.

I ended up buying 6 different polishes, a basecoat and purple flakies.

Jessica polish in Palladium, OPI in Simply Smashing, Color Club  in Wild at Heart and Alter Ego and LaRosa Crackle in Seaweed.

CND Sticky basecoat, China Glaze Chiaroscuro (old formula), Color Club in Shimma, Bella Nail Lacquer in Coconut Grove and OPI DS Sapphire.

Close up of purple flakies.

Oh yeah purple flakies.

If you're wondering what that silver capped OPI polish is, it is indeed DS Sapphire.  Holy lemming Batman!  I got myself DS Sapphire and for cheaper than Ebay prices too!

High off my find and feeling very proud of myself, I get myself a sandwich at Subway and go home to relax on this beautiful Sunday evening.  After all, I think I deserve it.    

Pa polishes and Nabi glitter

So I'm totally enamored with Pa polishes.  These polishes are from Dear Laura Inc. and although they are tiny they are super cute...... like all things Japanese I suppose.

You can find the site here.  They have a bunch of information and if you only thought they made cute nail polishes think again.  This company is an entire cosmetics line from  nail polish to eyelid glue.  Nail art may be fairly new here but I remember 8 years ago I had a friend in Japan studying nail art.  I had no clue how big it would become.

But onto polishes.....  I only have 4 pa polishes but I do think that I will be getting more in the future.  In the U.S. (or at least in the Bay Area) basic polishes cost the least, but are still around $3-$4 depending on where you go.  The Grande Lame series is about $4-$5 and the newest polishes they have out (I'm so intrigued) are $6 online.

These polishes are tiny and given the price, I can see why many aren't willing to try it.  But even with the tiny size, this brand has many good things going for them.  The formula is great, it dries fairly quickly and the nail polish colors are very pretty and many have additional effects such as shimmer, iridescence or glitter.

These are really great polishes and I'm glad I finally broke down and got them.

So onto pictures.... if you hang around the nail care section on TPF you might have already seen these....

pa A26 is a pretty port/wine shade with golden shimmer.

pa AA32 is a layering polish that is full of tiny glitter and large hex shaped glitter.  Both glitters are a silver holographic color.

 pa AA36 is a light black jelly based polish with tiny silver glitter and large pink hex glitter.  This would look so cool over black polish.

pa A24 is a pretty purple with a gold shimmer.  In the sun the shimmer reflects bits of green and red as well.  It's funny, because with flash the purple appears more blue based.  But without the flash, the purple appears more red based.

In my humble opinion, the color is best represented in the picture without flash.

So onto the Nabi.....

I got this at a $0.99 store down the block.  Don't overlook your local dollar stores.

The formula is not the best with these glitters.  The base polish is watery yet thick....  The glitter is hard to place on the nail and for whatever reason the polish refuses to dry even after 20 minutes.  After all that, I must say for $0.99 this is still an okay deal.

One note though.... in order for the polish to dry I had to apply Seche Vite over it.  Also, try to use an orange wood stick to place the glitter or else you will soon become frustrated.

This is 2 coats.  It's not that glitter dense.

 I absolutely love the variety of glitter that is in this polish.  There's red, blue and gold and all shapes from tiny glitter to super big hex glitter.  The base is a pinkish tint that you really can't see when on the nail.  The smell is a bit more offensive than most polishes in the market but it's no worse of a smell than Kleancolor.

Do you have an pa polishes?  What outrageous glitter polishes do you own?

Franken Time! Plus Yummy Mint Chocolate Cookies

I just wanted to say first that this blog has been really fun and I never realized how much of a beneficial outlet this could be.  I get lazy to blog (like I assume a lot of people do) but after every post I feel better.  I feel like a weight is lifted or as if I accomplished something.  Trivial as it is, I found blogging to be great therapy.

Cosmetic:

So as noted in my last post I will be starting a small Etsy with a trial run of 10 polishes (5  colors).  I will be adding the items in before the week is over and, truth be told, I'm eager to buy more supplies and play around.

But today I have for you a franken requested from a friend of mine over the weekend.  We went to Nordstrom and went all crazy for the nail polish.  Truth be told it was one of the more crowded areas.  She tried on Butter London's Branwen's Feather and deemed it too dark.  She then layered a coat of Deborah Lippmann's Some Enchanted Evening and loved the look.  However, being broke we can't afford $18 on polish.  

So she asked me to make her a pink glitter polish.  I accepted but I didn't really know what I had ahead of me.  I knew I didn't have the exact color of pink but I had something similar.  That night I used the rest of my nail polish base and got this.....

without flash

with flash

The glitter....  I might have overdone it.  It's a bit tricky to work with and application was uneven but I was able to maneuver okay.  But I knew that even with a nail tech for a mom, my friend would have difficulty with this.  From pinkie to index finger the polish is seen at 1 coat, 2 coats, 3 coats and 2 coats over black.

So searching through my vast collection of polishes I ran across OPI DS Reserve.  I hate how this polish looks on me so I banished it to the frankening box.  Turns out this was just the kick I needed to make the polish more user friendly.

without flash

with flash

Much better handling and coverage looks a lot more even.  Again, from pinkie to index finger the polish is seen at 1 coat, 2 coats, 3 coats and 2 coats over black.  You can barely see the black polish under 2 coats and the major bonus is that the glitter is still pretty and sparkly, not too much dulling from the addition of a colored polish.  It looks more put together and less like a child's art project.  I definitely think this is a success and I can't wait to try to make this again once I order more supplies.  But for now, this lonely bottle of polish awaits it's new home to be either loved or neglected.

I call this polish Pink Bonnie.

Confection:

So I've been lazy in the confection department but this is going to make up for it.  I present to you, Mint Chocolate Whoopie Pie!

I got the recipe from Bakerella's site.  You can find the recipe here along with a bunch of other easy and delicious goodies.  

The filling is a mint ganache that I have perfected over the years, yet never bothered to write down the recipe.

Oh yeah!  They're awesome when just made.

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

How Awesome are Dollar Stores? And Rock & Republic: headed to a Kohl's near you

The answer is that they are pretty damn awesome!

I mainly speak of this when I go to Dollar Tree.  I love that place and it loves me.  Now being a savvy dollar store shopper is not something that happens overnight.  The low prices confuse you and you go into a buying frenzy.  In the end you spend way more that you normally would have because everything is "just a dollar".

But be mindful and comparison shop.  Also it helps to bring a calculator along to help breakdown what a real value is and what a phony value is.

When first getting acquainted with dollar stores, shop around.  Different stores have different deals and different inventory, even if they're the same franchise.  Do not overlook small family-owned stores either.  They can be a treasure chest of goodies.

Also do not neglect your discounts stores like Ross and TJ Maxx.  They still have great deals if you look hard enough.  This goes for drug stores as well.  Most of the time you can find items sale priced for cheap.

Also, bring cash if you can.  It makes it easier to control spending and is guaranteed to be accepted anywhere.

So now then.... onto Rock & Republic.  While I think paying over $150 for jeans is stupid, I do admit to buying them for the equally stupid amount of $80+.  About a year ago I went to a sale for Rock & Republic.  I ended up buying 4 pairs of jeans and have yet to wear one to this day (yeah it's a sickness).  Now I am wise enough to know that when a brand offers heavy discounts that they usually aren't doing so well and are trying to liquidate.  This happened with Goldenbleu and now it's happened to Rock & Republic.  The brand was sold by the owner and they are now in the works of setting up a clothing line at Kohl's.  Now I give Kohl's props because they have a great selection of designers including Vera Wang.  

But what do all of us suckers do with our overpriced denim?  Can we really feel good about rocking them when soon there will be an affordable option available?

Will the value plummet further down or will they become collector items?

They also have a cosmetics line that was stupid expensive as well for a non-established brand in cosmetics.  Would I pay over $200 for bronzer?  Rock & Republic though people would.  And although the packaging is very pretty indeed, could anyone really justify that?

These are also being sold off at steep discounts on their site and on flash sale sites such as Hautelook.com if anyone is interested.  Not too shabby at all.  I got a lip gloss and 3 eye shadows for less than $30 after shipping and tax.  Still a bit high for some, but reasonable for me.

Folks, get whatever liquidated stuff you can get your hands on (if you're interested) before the whole empire collapses.

Where Are They Now and a Few Nail Polish Dupes, Tales of a Drug Store Outing

So this will be a bit of a rambling of sorts.  I haven't posted in over a week and feel the need to ramble.

First off, where are they now?

Now I'm sure a lot of people know that Mossimo partnered up with Target to save his company.  I believe Isaac Mizrahi did the same as well.  Many brands that start out as department store brands find their way to online and drug stores even if they had a great run.  Here are a few of the better known companies that have become drug store staples.

1.  Hard Candy:  Remember going into department stores and seeing a table full of pastel colored nail polish with cheap plastic rings on the cap?  I do!  And while I never remembered if they ever had counterspace like Urban Decay or Make Up Forever, I remember grabbing at the displays and looking at all the pretty and glittery liners and shadows.

Nowadays you won't find them at Macy's or Nordstrom but at Walmart.  I couldn't be happier because their product line is huge in comparison of what it was.  And while the packaging isn't as fancy as it was, they still have those cheap rings on the nail polish caps.

2.  Demeter:  Remember seeing such novel scents as Dirt or Freshly Mowed Lawn?  Remember coveting a small travel spray of Sex on the Beach?  They had a scent library that would put most to shame.  The design was clean and simple, yet each bottle was identifiable (is that a word?) due to color coding.  The scent were authentic for the most part and had people looking at fragrance in a whole new way.

Why don't you see them in department stores or Sephora anymore?  My guess, and this is because it's true for me, is that you had way too many choices and with a $20 per ounce price tag it was only a matter of time before the market they were after would run out of money and interest.  The smaller sizes came too late, plus the scent never lasted on me.  Now they are still around, and I totally want that Hello Kitty collection, but they aren't nearly as widespread as they were.  However, if you think that your only chance to get them is online, then there's hope.  They also sell some fragrances at Rite-Aid

Here's a couple of displays I saw while looking around their vast cosmetics section.

3.  Princess Borghese:  I used to love their skincare products and still use Fango on a regular basis.  But this brand is no longer at department store counters and that makes me sad.  I really don't know what happened here since they seemed to do well ever since I was a child.  I suppose the economy has been tough on everyone.

Their nail polishes can be found at drug stores and while they retail for $8 a bottle, the formula is good and the brush is great.  You can still get skincare online, but I haven't found a non-outlet store source for their Fango mud or Tono lotion.

Now for a couple of nail polish dupes!

Nail polish is getting huge, it's obvious with how many collections are being put out.  It's an affordable luxury most of the time, but there are only so many colors out there and a lot are similar.  Here's a couple of similar colors to try out.

1.  Color: Pop Beauty Violetta $10

Dupe: Sinful Colors Dream On $1.99

(sorry no photo)

The only difference is the formula.  While Violetta dries to a satin finish, Dream On dries semi matte.  If you use a topcoat then you really have no need to worry.

2.  Color: OPI Mermaid Tears $9.50

Dupe: Sinful Colors Open Seas $1.99

It seems that Sinful Colors likes to dupe OPI collections.  For all of those wanting Mermaid Tears but didn't want to pay the price for it, you now have a second chance.  The formula on this Sinful Color is great and it dries shiny just like the OPI.  only difference I see in color is that the Sinful Color is slightly more yellow than the OPI.

Can you tell?  The Sinful Colors is the left one and the OPI is the right one.

Still a great dupe.

3.  Color: Orly Space Cadet $10

Dupe: Hard Candy Beetle $5

(sorry no photo)

Now it's true that the Hard Candy is a smaller size, but how much Space Cadet will you ever need?  Another plus is that the Hard Candy formula seemes to cover better than the Orly one so I can get away with using 2 coats instead of 3.  Other than that, they are the exact same finish and color.

4.  Color: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Ice Queen $1.99

Dupe: NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Starry Silver $0.99



Blurry cell phone pic, but you can still see they're exactly the same.

This is exactly the same thing.  From the glitter sizes to the glitter colors.  More than coincidence to me.  And although it's not super expensive for the Sally Hansen, you are still paying double the price.  Forget the Sally Hansen and get 2 NYC polishes.

Now for something sweet and cool!

I made these for a friend who loves chocolate and mint.  I had extra mint batter so I decided on making these.

Mint Cupcakes with Mint Ganache Frosting

These are super minty, to the point of me almost getting a tummy ache.  But they are so good!  And the ganache is so yummy, I find myself spreading it on everything like a person would with Nutella.

Silver Shatters Compete! Sally Hansen Fractured Foil vs. OPI Silver Shatter

So I caved.....  I saw OPI Silver Shatter at my Ulta and I got it.

Cosmetic:

First off I have to say that I initially wasn't impressed with the Sally Hansen Crackle, but after playing with it a bit I find that if I do a thin coat that I get my desired effect.  So I take back what I said in my last post.

Secondly, there are a few tricks in applying a crackle topcoat.  I have three pointers that I found to be very helpful.

First:  If the coat is too thick then the polish won't crackle as much.  Try a thin layer and if you want to build up color, add another thing layer and it should crack in all the same places. 

Second:  Cracks form on the thinner areas of polish.  I find that if I brush through the polish again (after the initial coat while it is still wet) that it will catch on the brush and leae little bald spots.  These then make bigger cracks.  If you want more horizontal cracks, try to brush over the polish again starting halfway up the nail to the tip right after the initial application.

Sound confusing?  Think of it as if you were applying mascara to your lashes.  The first sweep is from root to tip, the second sweep is from the middle of your lashes to the tip.  Same concept here except you don't reload the brush with polish.

Third:  These topcoats shatter best when used over a shiny polish.  If the polish you're using has a matte, suede or buffed finish then it might not crack as well.  I find it a lot more difficult to use these with my matte polishes.  

If you want to use this with a matte polish, I found that they work better if you don't let the polish underneath dry completely.

I hope these tips are useful and will help you get good results.

Now onto the battle!

First category: Price! - Now OPI averages for about $8.50 at most retailers.  You can find some for less than that but that's usually the going price.  This isn't too bad since this polish is priced the same as the other polishes so you're less likely to get sticker shocked like with the DS collection.

Sally Hansen has products averaging about $5 a bottle.  Sometimes less, sometimes more.  The crackle is priced at $7 which is above the average cost of their nail polishes and it seems pretty high for me as a drug store brand.  For $1.50 more I would personally splurge on the OPI.

Second Category: Formula! - OPI's formula is in my opinion pretty close to their regular nail polishes.  It's slightly thick, but spreads evenly.  I don't notice this being any thinner or thicker.

Sally Hansen nail polish formulas run thin in my opinion, except for their Fast Dry line which is pretty thick.  This crackle polish is runny and thin and I found it was easier to apply lightly in regards to formula.

Third Category: Application! - OPI has a pro-wide brush that allows for a one stroke application on most of my nails.  Only problem with that is when I am looking to make a thin coat, I tend to have too much polish on the brush (especially on my pinkies).  But the brush makes application very easy for the other nails.

Many have complained, and I will add to it.  Why is the brush so thin?  Seriously, it's hard to get enough polish on the brush to do the bigger nails and it makes it harder to do a few thin sweeps and have the entire nail covered.  However, I had no problem doing my pinkies.  But I found the thin brush to be frustrating in the beginning.  Once you play with it, the application becomes better but they really need a wider brush.

Fourth Category: Packaging! - OPI has standard packaging for the Silver Shatter.  There might be a tag attached to the neck of the bottle but overall it's the same as regular OPI bottle.

Sally Hansen has a thin rectangular bottle with a concave curved handle that tapers towards the bottle.  It's a very pretty bottle and easy to fit into slim places.  I like this look very much and I love how Sally Hansen distinguishes the different lines with different bottles.

Fifth Category: Color! - Now what would be the point to all of this if I didn't note color?  OPI Silver Shatter is a darker silver, and gives off a more oxidized/pewter color in comparison.

Sally Hansen Crackle is a brighter, lighter silver that looks more white gold/platinum.  If you're wondering whether or not you really need two silvers, you do!  These are different silvers indeed.

Overall:  If you're looking for a reliable darker silver color that doesn't have too thin of a consistancy and has an easy to apply wider brush, then I would go for OPI Silver Shatter.

If you want a lighter flashier silver color with a thin formula and prefer a thinner brush then go for the Fractured Foil.

Now for comparison pictures.

These are the two bottles together, you can see the difference in color.

Now here I have them layered over a dark blue.  The two swatches on the left are OPI and the swatch on the far right is Sally Hansen.

w/ flash

w/o flash

And here you can see the difference on my nail.  The index finger has Fractured Foil on and the middle finger has Silver Shatter.

So here are my OPI ratings:

Value : 3 - I think all OPI polishes are too expensive, even if it's a salon brand.  So the price is only average to me....

Ease of Use : 5 - This polish was so easy to use and I got great results.  I'm very happy with this polish.

Quality : 4 - I only give a 4 because OPI is not my favorite formula out there.  I actually love China Glaze's formula much more.  But this isn't bad mind you, just not the best for me.  If you like OPI's formula then you'll like this polish. 

Overall : 4 - I'm very glad I got this polish, albeit I'm genetically a cheapo and would have preferred it to not cost so much.  Can you imagine how many pork buns I could have bought for $8.50?  But what can you do?  I do like that the color is darker since I feel it's more appropriate with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme and it's not super flashy so I won't feel so bad when I wear it to work.

And my Sally Hansen ratings: 

Value : 2.5 - Again, I'm a cheapo.  I just feel that $7 is too much for me to be paying for a drugstore brand crackle polish.  I don't mind paying higher for their complete manicure line since it's all the steps in one bottle.  Even the nail strips I can buy at around $10 without wincing because of it's ease and the compliments I get.  But $7 for a topcoat is too much in my book.  You can disagree with me but I don't intend on getting any other colors unless they're on sale.

Ease of Use : 3 - It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it, but you have to first get the hang of it.  I really think they should have put a thicker brush on these like they did with the Fast Dry polish.  The key to this polish working is to apply it quickly, and the brush doesn't let you do that.

Quality : 4 - I like Sally Hansen polishes a lot and for a drugstore brand their quality is good.  The formula for this polish is thinner and the color seems less pigmented when compared to the OPI, but I basically got the same results with both polishes so as far as quality is concered, it's up to par.

Overall : 3.2 - I like this product but I will not buy it again at this price.  Very similar to how I like tacos from taco trucks but will not pay over a dollar for them.  I just don't think they are worth that much.  And although I do like both this polish and tacos, my bugdet won't allow me to overpay.

Confection:

 

And now for a Friday treat! 

I hope everyone is planning to have a great long weekend!  I'm working, which sucks, but at least it's not all day long.  So I celebrated the coming of the weekend with a treat that is either so right or so very wrong.  You decide..... 

bacon peanut brittle

Yes, the whole world has gone to bacon.  I have yet to perfect my bacon brittle recipe and with each attempt I bring myself closer to a heart attack.  I have to say though, this is pretty good.  My one complaint is that there is too much bacon.  I know I'm crazy right?  

Anyways, have a safe weekend and watch out for zombies.

Update Pinky Paradise Order Review : Geo Bella Grey BS-205 Lenses

So this past weekend was exhausting so say the least.  With prom and graduation falling on the same weekend, the economy must have had itself some stimulation.....

So in my last post I revealed / reviewed my order from Pinky Paradise.  I didn't take in eye photos of the Bella Grey lenses since they were for my friend.

But I did get a picture of her wearing them....  I want to apologize now for the crappy photo since I took it with my phone camera.

I enlarged it so that you could see the detail a little better.

The color looks great!  It's a darker grey color and it blends in pretty well with the original eye color.  She wore these all day on her graduation with no problem but found that they were getting dry with prolong wear (as do almost all contacts). 

Enlargement was noticeable but not creepy big.  For those wondering how accurate the manufacturer photos are for this lens, it's pretty close.  This is a darker grey not a lighter grey and it leaves a lot of the original iris showing but it blends into the color.

The outer limbal ring isn't very thick and the resulting look is very natural.

I'm now thinking I need a pair for myself.  Sigh.....